Five things you need to know from No. 6 Kentucky’s 79-62 upset loss to South Carolina

Five things you need to know from No. 6 Kentucky’s 79-62 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in men’s SEC basketball at Colonial Life Arena:

1. “Big Z” encore. In his second game, Kentucky freshman Zvonimir Ivisic found the going a bit rougher than in his euphoric college debut.

After finding out Saturday he had finally been cleared for eligibility by the NCAA, the 7-foot-2, 234-pound product of Vitez, Croatia, electrified Rupp Arena with his play in UK’s 105-96 win over Georgia. “Big Z” finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, two turnovers and three blocked shots in 16 minutes.

In his first college road game against a rugged, physical front line, Ivisic mostly struggled.

The big man finished with three points, two rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes.

2. Calipari in his personal haunted house. Colonial Life Arena provided another nightmarish experience for John Calipari.

With Tuesday’s loss, Calipari is only 5-5 versus South Carolina in Columbia as UK head man.

Many of us had wondered what would happen to Kentucky’s high-flying, youthful roster if they got in against a physical team that could slow game tempo down on a night when UK was not making outside shots.

South Carolina showed us.

It was not pretty, especially for UK’s ballyhooed freshman class.

Reed Sheppard hit 1 of 4 shots with three rebounds, no assists and two turnovers. D.J. Wagner went 2-of-10 for four points. Justin Edwards had two made free throws and two rebounds to show for 23 minutes of play. Zvonimir Ivisic (see above) also struggled.

Only Rob Dillingham (16 points on 7-of-14 shooting) and Aaron Bradshaw (four points and eight rebounds) among the Kentucky frosh stepped up to the challenge.

Going forward, the Kentucky freshmen can expect a steady diet of physicality from opponents.

The lackluster showing was a continuation of bad experiences for Calipari at South Carolina.

Twice, during a 72-67 loss in 2013-14 and during an 89-62 win in 2015-16, Calipari has been ejected from games at South Carolina.

His first loss as Kentucky coach came to the Gamecocks in Columbia when then-South Carolina head man Darrin Horn, Devan Downey and Co. scored a 68-62 upset over John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and No. 1 UK on Jan. 26, 2010.

3. A missed Quad 1 opportunity. South Carolina began Tuesday night’s game ranked No. 62 in the NCAA NET rankings. Since the game was on the road, that made it a Quad 1 opportunity for Kentucky.

With its defeat, UK is now 2-3 on the season in Quad 1 games. Since Kentucky is also carrying a Quad 3 loss from the defeat to UNC Wilmington, the Wildcats need all the Quad 1 wins they can get to enhance their NCAA Tournament profile.

4. An ex-Morehead State guard shines. For the first three seasons of his college career, Ta’Lon Cooper played for Preston Spradlin at MSU. Cooper was a key player on the Eagles’ 2020-21 NCAA Tournament team.

After playing last season at Minnesota, Cooper, from Roebuck, South Carolina, transferred to his home state’s flagship university.

Against a Kentucky roster stacked with backcourt players projected to be NBA first-round draft picks, Cooper was the best guard in the game.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Cooper controlled the game from the point. In a consummate all-around performance, Cooper had 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.

5. More South Carolina 3-point magic. When South Carolina upset Kentucky 71-68 at Rupp Arena last season as a 19 1/2-points underdog, the Gamecocks made 11 of 20 3-point shots.

South Carolina had entered that game making 31.1% on treys.

On Tuesday night, it was more of the same.

The Gamecocks entered the game making 33.6% of their 3-pointers on the season; they hit 11 of 24 (45.8%) vs. Kentucky.

Epitomizing South Carolina’s 3-point outbreak was junior guard Jacobi Wright.

The Fort Mill, South Carolina, product entered the game having made 10 of 44 treys. He hit his first four 3-pointers vs. Kentucky en route to 14 points.

Meanwhile, UK made only 4 of 13 treys.

Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves (12) and South Carolina’s Meechie Johnson (5) reach for a ball during Tuesday’s game. Reeves finished with 15 points.

At last, the drought is over. Kentucky is again producing high-level basketball talent.

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